CLASS II. AVES: ORDEn 1. GRALLATORES. 



287 



THE GRAY HERON OF EUROPE. 



furnished with a black crest attached to the back of the head. This bird is very common through- 

 out Europe in summer, and a few remain during the winter in Middle and Southern Europe ; the 

 greater part, however, spend this season in the warmer parts of Africa and Asia. It frequents the 

 lakes, rivers, and inland morasses during the breeding-time, and usually betakes itself to the estu- 

 aries and sea-coasts in the winter. It is generally 

 an indolent bird, commonly capturing its prey by 

 standing in the water until some fish passes close 

 enough to it to be seized by darting out the 

 head. It also feeds upon frogs, newts, Crustacea, 

 and insects, and occasionally upon small birds 

 and quadrupeds. It always swallows its prey en- 

 tire. It often feeds at night, as is also the case 

 with many of the family. 



Other foreign species are the Purple Heron, 

 A.2nir2nirca, twenty-nine inches long ; slate-gray 

 above ; dark maroon and slate-gray beneath ; 

 found in the warmer parts of Europe, x\sia, and 

 Africa : the Great White IIeron, A. alba, 

 three feet long; plumage white; common in 

 Southern Europe, and rare at the north ; found 

 in parts of Asia : the Egret Heron or Little 

 Egret, A. (/arzetta, plumage white ; common in 

 Southern Europe and in parts of Asia : the 

 BuFF-BAPKED IIeron, A. russuta, two feet long ; 

 plumage white, except the head and upper part 

 of the neck, which are buff; occasional in Eu- 

 rope ; common in India : the Squacco Heron, 

 THE PURPLE HERON. A. comata, nineteen inches long ; reddish-brown, 



buff, and white above ; beneath white. 

 The Great Blue Heron, A. kerodias, is four feet long; general color bluish-ash. "It 



